Adjuster for osteopathic use



May 20, 1930.

E. E. LOOSE ADJUSTER FOR OSTEOPATHIC USE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed DeO. 14, 1927 IN V EN TOR. E.- L005E mzwsssss,

Patented May 20, 1930 nu n LOOSE, or FINDLAY, OHIO ADJUSTER r03 os'rEorA'rme USE Application filed'Dec einbei 14, 1927. Serial No. 240,030.

This invention relates to improvements in Osteopathic instruments and more particularly to an instrument adapted to bereadily employed to facilitate the manipulation and 6 secure a more thorough relaxation of thetis- 10 is to provide an instrument for effecting sues adjacent to the spine in the correction ease. a

One of the objects of thepresent invention of lesions which are causative factors in disspinal adjustment and which instrument will be so constructed as to permit of the adapter to be conveniently manipulatedby the hand of the practitioner while the fingers of the hand may be employed detecting any re maining lesions in thetissues, as the adapter is advanced along the spine ofthe patient.

Another object of theinvention is to provide, in anosteopathic instrument of the class described, a novel construction of adapter,

the construction being such that the adapter will automaticall I adjust itself to the contour of the body sur ace of the back and at the same time be capable of manipulation to exert sufiicient pressure-to correct any abnormali- I I I 1 illustrating the means provided for anchorties that may be present along the spine. 5 I Another object of the invention is to provide, in an osteopathic instrument of the'class referred to, an adapter so constructed that, in use, it will avoid directpressure upon the tips of the posterior spinal processes, and at the same time permit the desired degree of pressure to be exerted over ,thespinal nerve centers at any angle considered advisable by the practitioner. In this respect, the invention contemplates the relief of congestion of false tissues and thelnormalizing of boney lesions of the spine and ribs. I y

Another object of the invention is tooprovide, in an osteopathic instrument of the class referred to, an adapter soconstructed that,

while its movement and the pressure-exerted thereon is controlled by. the palm of one hand of the practitioner, the second and third fingersof the hand may extend beyond the adapter and be employed to detect" the extent of correction of the existing: lesion, with the result that precisely the desiredcorrection may be effected at all points in the length ofv the spine.

- While the accompanying drawings and the description which is to follow, constitute a disclosure of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood thatlvarious changes .may be made within the scope of what is claimed. I

In the accompanying drawings: I I II I Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the instrument embodying the invention; i Fig. 2 is a bottom plan viewof the instrumerit, a part thereof being omitted; I

3 Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure ing the adapter supporting rod of the instrument; 7 1

Fig. 4: is a vertical transverse sectional view takensubstantially onthe line 4.4t of Figure. 1 looking in the direction indicated by thear rows; I v v I I Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinalsectional view taken substantially on theline 55 of Figure 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; V r a I Fig. '6 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantiallyon the line 6- 6 of Figure5; V

Fig; 7 is a-perspective View of the pad of the adapter;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view: of the body of I V The adapter pad and support therefor, which is adjustably carried upon the rod or bar 1 is indicated as a whole by the numeral 5, The adapter pad support comprises a rectangular plate 6 having longitudinally extending downturned flanges 7 atits oppositevside edges and provided at each end with :1 depending end piece '8 and an up- I standing ear 9.'- Each of the end pieces is provided with apertures 10 for receiving cer -ta1n securing devices for the pad as here1nafter described. 7 '7 The upstanding ears 9a1ge each-provided with an aperture 11 and, above the aperture 11, with a smaller aperture- 12, the apertures 11 of theears being designed to receive the adjuster bar 1 upon which the support 61is slidabl-y held as shownin Figures- 1 and 5'.

Connectingthe ears 9 is -a' reinforcing bar 13 which has its ends secured" inthe apex: tu res 12of-the ears" 9. The supporting bar 1 extends beneath this reinforcing bar as inEFigure 1, 1

V Securedto the upper side and longitudi nail ly' of the adapter plate 6is an upwardly spring 14-,{t'he' ends of which are riveted tothe plate 6 as indicated at 15'. The

bowed portion of'this-"spring 14 has sliding engagement in the groove 2 which is formed in the bar 1 and; while permitting the adapter to be adjustedlongitudinally of the bar, prer vents its turningthereabout;

Positioned against themnderface 0f the f adapter plate 6 between the end pieces? is the pa'd'of the adapter which comprisesajrubber 16 of semi-cylindrical formation" and having a recess 17 formed thereinmidway between the ends thereof. It will be' observed by reference to Figures 1, 2 and 7, that thereeess 17 graduallydecreases-in depth and y gradually increases in width from its transi verse-center toward its ends; By reasonof' this peculiar formation of the recess: 1 7,;th'e,

adapter pad 16 more effectively and naturally conforms to the body in the region of the spinal vertebrae, and the adapter pad, when rocked forwardly and re'arwardly" under downward pressure, causes relaxation, rotation and separation, which are the primefactorsin the correction of spinal lesions. This +pad 16- is provided adjacent? the fiat portion T thereof orthat portion which bears. against pieces 8 From this it will be seen that'the' tl'regunderface ofithep'l'atefi with longitudi may. extending passages "1-8 through which retaining bolts19 pass, these boltsbeinglextended through i the apertui es'iio" in the end eHd'pieceS-S are'drawn tightly against the ends of the body 16-to maintain it iii-position.

4 The rubber way? 16 is. further I provided with "a series of" longitudinally extendin apertures or; passages wilwhieh are located 7 near theeeryed faces-0f the body' and which open at thei'r inner enusintoz the recess 1'7 -s is cleeery shown in Fi ure '5; theseas sages enhancing the resiliency of the pad and rendering the portions thereof at opposite sides of the recess more yieldable. As has been previously described this semi-cylindrioal adapter body is formed of a soft rub ber composition and the groove or recess 17; permits the application of pressure over the spinal nerve center without pressingunduly upon the posterioriprooe'sses of the vertebrae. Engaged through the aperture .Lin the end of the bar ,1- is-a ring or stirrup 21 through to one endo-fstrap member 23 as is shown.

The strap is looped over a pulley roller 24 carried: by andarrang'ed transversely of a plate member 13 at one end of the plate. The other endof the plate is turned inwardlyupou and i in spaced relation to the main body p'ortion to provide the hook 14 which is designed to engage over a fixed object as a portion of a table upon wh-i'cha patient i's'place'd for treat- 7 V ment. The free end of'the strap 23 is passed through and held by the clamp member 27 which is carried by the'strap body adjacent the; securedend thereof as is clearly shown in Figure V j V I From the foregoingdescription, it: will beseen that with the hooked end 26 of the late iner'nher 25 secured to a fixed object,. the adapter can be re'adlilyplaced in any desired position against the'abo'dy ofiaipatientand held with-the required amount ofpressure byjp-ressing"downwardly upon the-handled portion 3- of the bar '1. .Inadditibn'te this 7 I the adapter canbe manipulatedas desired by pIaeing-the-ot'her hand, over 'the bariS, at

the same time using the fingersof the hand which controls the adapter for} locating other areas requiring treatment, r

Due to the-manner in whichthe" adapter is imam-need upon'the bar 1,'it1wil1 bereadilyseen that adjustment of the adapter with re-' 1 SpeCt a) the patients body can bereadily' ac- It will be appreci'at with the expenditure of minimum exertion and ina minimum length of tim'ei'fi Thisoperation is performed by adjusting the in'strw.

men-t toi'the patient, whois in a pronefposi tion, the practitioner pla'cing one hand overt" lay-those skilled in" osteopathy that, by the u'seofthe instruinent' embodying the. invention, rotation and sepia; i ration of the spinal vertebrae'may be "effected the adapter with the second and 'tliird fing'ers 7 extended to act as a controlfand with the thumb' extlending' downwardly against one 1 side ofgth adapter to grip said side, the

inglagaifn'st the other sideof thefadapt'er, at

whichi ti'mel the other hand may be employed in imparting a gentlecircularf'mo'vement' to thehandfle 3' thu's so niofvinggthe'rod 1' as to" a cause the body f the ar lapt'erto exert: the deg sired: res ur upon; th pinal' tissues and effect a'rel'airati'oii', rotation, andsepa tie first and fourth fingers ofthe' handengagQ-Z of the" spinal vertebrae for the purpose of corstoodthat this portion of the instrument is likewise well adapted for use where steady pressure isrequired.

It will also be evident that the instrument may be employed in connection with any of the types of tables generally in use by osteopaths and physicians, in general.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: V

1. In an instrument for osteopathic treatment of the spine, manipulating means comprising a rod, an anchoring means at one end of therod for the connection of the said end of the rod with a fixed part, the anchoring means being of a flexible nature, a hand grip at the other end of the rod, the rod having a longitudinal groove, a supporting member freely slidably adjustable along the rod, a bowed spring upon the supporting member having its intermediate portion engaging in said groove whereby to prevent rotative displacement of the supporting member upon the rod, and an adapter pad for pressure application in the region of the spinal vertebrae comprising a resiliently yieldable body mounted upon the underside of the supporting member and having ,a transversely concave effective face formed with a'recess extending in the direction of the circumference of said face of the body and transversely with respect to the axis of the rod.

2. An instrument for osteopathic treatment of the spine, comprising a rod, means adapted to connect one'end of the rod to a fixed support to permit the rod to be rocked about its longitudinal axis, an adapter pad i provided with a convex active face and with a transverse groove extending through said face and gradually increasing in dep'th and gradually decreasing in width from its transverse center toward its ends, and means connecting the. adapter pad to the rod for rocking movement therewith. r

3. An instrumentfor osteopathic treatment of the spine, comprising a rod, means adapted to connect one end of the rod to a fixed support to permit the rod to be rocked about its. longitudinal axis, a resiliently yieldable adapter pad connected to the rod and provided with a convex activeface and with a transverse groove extending through said face and graduallydecreasing indepth and gradually increasing in width from its'transa Verse center toward its ends, the adapter pad being provided with openings in those portions thereof located laterally and radially beyond the bottom wall of the groove, and means for connecting the adapter pad to the rod for rocking movement therewith.

4. An instrument for osteopathic treatment of the spine, comprising a rod, means adapted to connect one end of the rod to a fixed support to permit the rod to be rocked about its longitudinal axis, and adapter pad connected to the rod and provided with a convex active face and with a transverse groove extending through said face and gradually decreasing in depth and gradually increasing in width from its transverse center toward its end, and means slidably connecting the adapter pad to the rod and holding it against turning movement with respect to the rod.

5. An adapter pad for an osteopathic instrument, having a convex active face and a transverse groove extending through the active face thereof and gradually decreasing in depth and gradually increasing in width from its transverse center toward its ends.

6. An adapter pad for an osteopathic instrument, made from resiliently yieldable ma.- te'ria-l and provided with a convex active face and a transverse groove extending through terialand having a convex active face and a transverse groove extending through said face and gradually decreasing in depth and gradu- I ally increasing in width from its transverse center toward its ends, those portions of the adapter pad at opposite sides of the recess and radially beyond its bottom wall being more yieldable than the remaining portion of the adapter pad. y 9. An instrument for osteopathic treatment of the spine, comprising a rod, a support embodying a plate located at the under side of the rod and apertured lugs extending upwardly and downwardly from the plate,

the upwardly extending lugs slidably receiving the rod, an adapter pad positioned against thepunder side of the plate and the downwardlyextending lugs, means engagingthe adapter pad and said last lugs to securethe adapter pad in place, and cooperating means support against rocking movement on the In testimony whereof I affix my signature. 130

V XELI E. LOOSE.

on the bar and support adapted'to hold the 7 

